Visit the
MVP Gallery and see some of the
student's work. |
Photography Emily
Schiffer, a professional photographer from New York, volunteered her
time and talent to teach thirty-two youth, ages six to sixteen,
photography as a tool for self exploration and to support pride in
culture and community. This project was supported by a grant from the
Congregational Church in South Glastonbury, CT. To further
support the project, Emily registered the Sioux YMCA on the B & H
Photo.com web registry and obtained cameras, darkroom equipment and
supplies. She also contacted numerous generous friends. The YMCA
received enough donations to setup a darkroom, provide cameras, film
and most importantly, make this an on-going project with future
volunteers from New York and, with additional funding, a local
instructor. Emily will return in 2006 for one month and bring another
volunteer. We are currently seeking additional support
to expand this program to a weekly schedule. |
Game Room
Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Board
of Directors of the Missouri Valley Family YMCA, teens and youth have
a new game room with pool, foosball, air hockey and ping pong tables.
These games are also very popular with adults and families, providing
no cost entertainment in a non-pool hall environment.
Soup & Social
Photos: Bonita makes wonderful fry bread. The community
comes together to enjoy a bowl of homemade soup and fry bread during a
Soup & Social. We'll serve 2,912 meals in 2005.
Elders and others enjoy a bowl of home-made soup and bread every Tuesday and Thursday at noon. The conversation turns lively, sometimes the crafts
come out and many stories are told and enjoyed. On Thursdays we play
BINGO for soap, towels, toothpaste, and other items. Elders who cannot
physically come to the Y can have their soup and
bread delivered. Left overs - watecha are taken home to be enjoyed for another meal.
At Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, we prepare special feasts of ham,
turkey and all the trimmings. The Cheyenne River
Sioux Tribe provides us with the beef or buffalo, Lakota Thrifty Mart butchers the meat and
American Indian Relief Council provides ingredients for the soup and bread.
Fitness
The YMCA houses various fitness equipment for the
community.
Diabetes is very prevalent within all ages of the population.
Lights were added to our field making it safer and usable year round.
We also setup teather ball, soccer and volleyball in the field area. Donated ice skates add an opportunity for exercise
outside during
the winter.
Special Events
The Sioux YMCA offers seasonal events such as Halloween
at the YMCA, Christmas Parties, Easter Egg Hunts and Founders Day.
In 2005, we'll distribute 1,428 Christmas gifts to youth and 335 to
elders.
Photos: Virginia Bonavia, takes on the role as "Santa's helper" with two friends from
Red Scaffold. Dupree Head Start youth love hand knit hats and mittens.
Santa "twins".
See left-hand column for link to Halloween photos.
Photos: Halloween Party. Is the Y really haunted?
Look at the Easter eggs I found!
Arts & Crafts Project
This program helps encourage and support members who practice
traditional
Lakota arts. The Sioux YMCA markets and resells these pieces.
Funds are reinvested in the project's purchasing budget, enabling us to purchase
more
pieces
and further support traditional arts and those who practice them. We
currently work with 18 artists on a regular basis. The income from the
sale of their crafts is a critical part of their monthly income.
Here's the address for the website. It
might not be fully operable until Feb., 2006 so please keep checking
and be patient with our learning curve.
www.siouxymcaartproject.org
Click here for: Order
Form for YMCA logo items
Please print order form and post mail to address on
form. At this time we are not able to accept credit/debit
cards or forms through email.
